User Reviews

I found this anime incredibly tedious and boring. We watched it in anime club and I gave up on it about ten episodes in, when there was a giant and tense space battle ... and I was still bored. The characters just wouldn't stop spouting useless technobabble.

So that's a thing - way too much talking and not enough actually *doing* anything. (I'm not asking for glorious space battles, just *shut ...

I found this anime incredibly tedious and boring. We watched it in anime club and I gave up on it about ten episodes in, when there was a giant and tense space battle ... and I was still bored. The characters just wouldn't stop spouting useless technobabble.

So that's a thing - way too much talking and not enough actually *doing* anything. (I'm not asking for glorious space battles, just *shut up* every once in a while and actually be effective!)

The show does have incredibly interesting characters ... that they show for maybe two minutes and then shove to the sidelines so the bland main character and her princess buddies can take the spotlight. Literally almost every character in the show that they *don't* focus on is more interesting than the ones they do - main character's mom, her "rival" pirate friend, the girls in the space yacht club, main character's actual pirate crew - but instead we get some tedious political drama about princesses and whatnot. It's very disappointing.

And the show doesn't know how to handle action or conflict, either - 90% of the time, when something bad is happening and it looks like the characters might actually be in danger, they cut away to something else, then come back to the scene and ... it's fixed! No need to worry, no one was ever in actual danger. Then the characters say something like, "man, it's a good thing we fixed that problem from earlier!" and you get a 3-second flashback to them fixing the problem, and then they go on with discussing *important* things ... like final exams, and paperwork. Ugh.

In sum: Too much talking. Not enough pirating. No "stakes" (there's never any actual danger, so I never actually cared about the characters). And the opening song gets really annoying after a very short while.

Bodacious Space Pirates, well how do I put it? Other than a great disappointment Like some other animes like it carried the promise of being a great girl genre anime and being more than its genre from what I saw in the previews.
This anime had really awesome effects and even better hand drawn character animations. Visually this anime was stunning! but its story, development and plot really ...

Bodacious Space Pirates, well how do I put it? Other than a great disappointment Like some other animes like it carried the promise of being a great girl genre anime and being more than its genre from what I saw in the previews.
This anime had really awesome effects and even better hand drawn character animations. Visually this anime was stunning! but its story, development and plot really killed it. I was expecting more hard corp action and there wasn't hard corp action more of the Electronic Warfare stuff I saw that held so much promise. But it was dripping with useless scenes that stretched for half the anime and a boy scout idea of what pirates are.
So like so many Bodacious Space Pirates just doesn't stand out from the other Girl Animes.

This really coulda been one of those animes that could have just rocked. Gals, Pirate Starships, Adventure... what more could you ask for. How bout a pack of mercenary anti heroes like what some pirates where.
There were bad pirates and anti hero pirates. There was never any goody 2 shoes pirates. show pirates what a joke! I shoulda known this anime wasn't going to have the grit of Black Lagoon. ...

This really coulda been one of those animes that could have just rocked. Gals, Pirate Starships, Adventure... what more could you ask for. How bout a pack of mercenary anti heroes like what some pirates where.
There were bad pirates and anti hero pirates. There was never any goody 2 shoes pirates. show pirates what a joke! I shoulda known this anime wasn't going to have the grit of Black Lagoon. But I hoped and got those down.

So upon exhausting my list of anime available to watch and catching up on weekly releases I stumbled upon this one and gave it a shot based upon the reviews with my expectations being on the level of Meh. After a short while I realized there were no more episodes and was sad that there is only one season. The story is actually well thought out and the way it is made makes it feel like it is an ...

So upon exhausting my list of anime available to watch and catching up on weekly releases I stumbled upon this one and gave it a shot based upon the reviews with my expectations being on the level of Meh. After a short while I realized there were no more episodes and was sad that there is only one season. The story is actually well thought out and the way it is made makes it feel like it is an anime taking place on a Pirate Ship on a sea of stars.

In an age were Pirates are thought to be left in the dust of history an unsuspecting high schooler discovers that she has inherited the role of captain from a legendary Pirate Ship due to laws and rules that allow sanctioned piracy on a frontier system of space after her father dies. They claim piracy but the reality is they are more of an independent security/delivery service and tourist attraction "attacking" cruises that contract them when they pass in their space sector. However unforeseen forces are forcing them to step out of the law abiding comfort zone they have obeyed for the past 100 years and either take up the ways of old or perish.

I guess with a name like "Bodacious" Space Pirates I shouldn't have walked into this anime with such high expectations but I did.
Guns and Dolls do have an appeal to me and this series did say fun to me at first.

BSP is set in a far flung future where mankind has colonized deep space and now various star nations have formed. And now in their employ are are privateer ships and crews that can ...

I guess with a name like "Bodacious" Space Pirates I shouldn't have walked into this anime with such high expectations but I did.
Guns and Dolls do have an appeal to me and this series did say fun to me at first.

BSP is set in a far flung future where mankind has colonized deep space and now various star nations have formed. And now in their employ are are privateer ships and crews that can either put on a good convincing show for star liners or proper naval combat raid mercenary work... Aptly put Space Pirates...
And a seemingly ordinary school girl finds out from her mother and local government that she is the daughter of a legendary space pirate. Now she dawns her daddy's coat and ship to carve out her own legend with the help of an unlikely friend in black whose also a notorious corsair's daughter.
As far as originality was concerned this story was a little too much like Outlaw Star in that regard but I was still pulled by the promise of battle-starships in addition to "guns and dolls" fun. and I loved Outlaw Star.

Plot - This is where where the anime really came apart for me (completely flew apart). Each adventure promised something perilous with strange deep thought concepts at first. And the strong emphasis on Electronic Warfare had my geek side tingling. BUT then at the end every adventure was a conclusion that was absolutely tweeny, emo and melodramatic. And annoyingly non violent.
In its defense it was an anime aimed at girls so it was anime that was meant to have girl situations to it. But on the other hand had an anime chick sex appeal to it that was clearly meant to grab guys too. so the anime needed to be balanced with a high level of action to it and it wasn't. Too much girl situations and not enough not enough hardcore action and combat.
This series played out more badly for me than "Girls und Panzer" and GuP had some semblance of an excuse going for them. That was an anime where the action (the little there was) was live non lethal tank simulations as a global appeal sporting event. This series was about space pirates and pirates are naval killers in a clandestine art of raider warfare. and yet in every life or death "thunder the guns" situation they trying to be touchy feely "don't kill em" in every situation the captain and crew of the Benton Maru faced. You can argue this was scifi and they were also called upon to be performers on some missions too - all you want but this show had its head not not firmly planted somewhere in reality when it came to dire situations. I HATE shows that have that kind of feel to it. That's for Saturday morning cartoons not short skirt action anime and space war adventure.

Characters and Character Development - I was disappointed that only couple characters every really developed through the series. With the sheer amount of non combat scenes that gave the story an opening for character development almost all of the characters remained annoyingly static. again yes it there were alot of girly girl things in there had no appeal to me. I get that! But I was not impressed with the sheer amount of times I often found myself skipping ahead in some scenes. Times they could have spent developing characters and story. As a novelist I say to any aspiring writers this is a painfully bad thing....

Animations - Animations was the only saving grace for this show and only place I give the series a 5 out of 5. The back ground detail, the cartoon CGI and character drawn animations were second to none to me and incredibly appealing. But a hard lesson to be had here is that Eye Candy alone can't carry an anime by itself.

Soundtrack - The soundtrack was just all over the place. I couldn't tell what it was trying to accomplish. The opening music could have almost been cool but it had a lolly-girl chorus to it. Which I get is something big in Japan... but for an All-American and melodic Euro-Metalhead like me the girl singing was like nails on a chalkboard. I'm sure I could be accused of bias in this category and maybe I am but at best the soundtrack was nothing incredibly special. and in defense of Japanese pop culture music I've been a strong fan of Gackt in all his incarnations for years and continue to do so.

The problem with BSP that it left itself open to so many things and just didn't take advantage of them. Even the name implies that. So I'm left giving this series a 2 out of 5. I really was expecting more... well more...

First off, this anime does have "campiness", the obsession of scantily clad teenage girls, kids in school who are heroes/action figures (which I hate). That being said, this show gives a unique, fresh twist on the "space pirate" genre. Great intro & opening song. Good technological ideas (hacking into other ships to take them over, counter electronics, using solar panels to "blind" ships who ...

First off, this anime does have "campiness", the obsession of scantily clad teenage girls, kids in school who are heroes/action figures (which I hate). That being said, this show gives a unique, fresh twist on the "space pirate" genre. Great intro & opening song. Good technological ideas (hacking into other ships to take them over, counter electronics, using solar panels to "blind" ships who have been hacked), interesting history with an ending that opens up the whole show to another new aspect. The problem is that they stopped making more seasons. Dynamic characters (young & old), interesting plot twists, humor on several levels, some hints of "darkness" but overall a very upbeat and fun show to watch. Highly recommended if you like pirates and space operas.

Bodacious Space Pirates - certainly a unique title for a show. One that contains elements of awesome, who doesn't love Pirates?

And Space Pirates, no less? Come on, what more could you ask for? But does it live up to the promise its name makes to us?

Bodacious Space Pirates was an odd show for my wife and I to watch. I mean, we never felt it was a bad show, but while watching it we ...

Bodacious Space Pirates - certainly a unique title for a show. One that contains elements of awesome, who doesn't love Pirates?

And Space Pirates, no less? Come on, what more could you ask for? But does it live up to the promise its name makes to us?

Bodacious Space Pirates was an odd show for my wife and I to watch. I mean, we never felt it was a bad show, but while watching it we didn't realize how much fun we were having. It's kind of hard to explain, but when we were about halfway through the series we were talking and it just sort of hit us that we were really having a ton of fun with it.

But let's get back to business here... the basic premise of the show is that some time ago there was a war and the ruling council offered authorization to pirates if they assisted with the war. These pirates were granted Letters of Marque that permitted their ship, as long as it was captained by the holder of the Letter, to become 'legal pirates'. The Letters can only pass to a direct descendent should the current holder perish. These pirates have become largely(but not entirely) sideshows for fancy cruises. In other words, they stage heists where they rob these fancy cruises, and the guests of the ship get their belongings replaced by the ship's insurance. So the Pirates get loot, the guests get a show, and everyone's happy - an interesting arrangement, for sure.

Yes, I know, it sounds kind of silly, which I think is part of why it took so long to realize I was enjoying the show so much.

On to the show itself now. Our main character, Marika Kato, is the daughter of one of these Space Pirates, although she knows it not. She is just an average High School girl who happens to be a member of the school's 'space yacht club'. When her father passes away, the crew of his ship - the Bentenmaru - seek her out to take his place so that they don't lose their Letter. And thus begins her new life as a Space Pirate.

The crew of the Bentenmaru are misfits in the best possible way... each with their own unique little quirks, some predictable, others not so much. But they all work together to create some truly unforgettable moments. And Marika herself fits remarkably well into their little social circle, so to speak.

The imagery in this show is gorgeous, particularly during one episode - you'll know it when you watch the show, I don't want to spoil the surprise for you. It is glorious. But even outside of that one episode, the ships look really fantastic, the effects are cool, and the planets are just gorgeous. Mind you, I have a soft spot for space views of planets... so that might be my bias talking.

The soundtrack is a bit of a low point for me. While I can't deny I did enjoy the ending theme, the rest of the music really doesn't do anything for me... and the show's opening theme is downright awful. So bad, in fact, that I can't help but wonder if they even listened to it before selecting it. If you're going to watch this show, I strongly recommend just skipping over the opening credits each time, for your own sanity.

Bodacious Space Pirates isn't the highest on action and it certainly could've benefited from a better soundtrack but it's intriguing humour, unique premise, and fantastic cast of characters made it a show that has won my heart and that kept me coming back.

The above was a review I wrote for my website. If you're interested in more anime/gaming content, my website is http://www.shadowedblade.net/

so i watched this, and going in to it i was expecting lots of fanservice, no plot, mindless action. boy was i wrong. its none of those things.
first off, this is a lighthearted series. dont expect anything world changing.
what did impress me was the attention to technical detail and sound. a heavy emphsis on electronic warfare and strategy that (OMG!) takes into account actual real world ...

so i watched this, and going in to it i was expecting lots of fanservice, no plot, mindless action. boy was i wrong. its none of those things.
first off, this is a lighthearted series. dont expect anything world changing.
what did impress me was the attention to technical detail and sound. a heavy emphsis on electronic warfare and strategy that (OMG!) takes into account actual real world physics. the ships turn and you can hear metal groaning.
as for the cast, it was good, tho i felt a few should have gotten more screen time (the mother, for one). again, its not going to make you cry, but its a nice story about a teen age girl dumped with responsiblities and trying to juggle one too many things.

I first found out about this anime from cosplayers promoting it at Anime Expo. I'm usually into ecchi fan service animes and from looking at the main character and the title "Bodacious Space Pirates" I thought that was how this show was going to play out. That's completly not the case and is a sci-fi/adventure genre that really brings the viewer back to older titles like Cowboy Bebop. The art is ...

I first found out about this anime from cosplayers promoting it at Anime Expo. I'm usually into ecchi fan service animes and from looking at the main character and the title "Bodacious Space Pirates" I thought that was how this show was going to play out. That's completly not the case and is a sci-fi/adventure genre that really brings the viewer back to older titles like Cowboy Bebop. The art is great and the main character is adorable. I liked the nostalgic feeling I got from the series as I mentioned earlier. The only downside was I thought the pacing was a little slow so I got bored at times. I think it could have been a little shorter. I don't normally watch anime in this genre but I gave it a chance and thought it was decent overall. If you know you love battles in space and lasers and tech jargon this is the series for you.

About the Show

Marika Katou is a freshman in high school who lives on the planet "Umi no Akehoshi" somewhere in space. One day, she is told that her
Marika Katou is a freshman in high school who lives on the planet "Umi no Akehoshi" somewhere in space. One day, she is told that her father, who she thought was dead, was actually alive until just a while ago, and was the captain of the space pirate ship Bentenmaru. And she also finds out that they need her, his heir, to be captain so that they can keep flying! Marika begins a new life as a high school girl, and as captain of the pirate ship Bentenmaru! ...more